


Children

by f0rever15elf



Series: 2020 December Writing Challenge [5]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: F/M, Food mention, Pedro Pascal - Freeform, Soft Marcus, pregnancy mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28997898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f0rever15elf/pseuds/f0rever15elf
Summary: Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Marcus and your kids.
Relationships: Marcus Pike / Reader, Marcus Pike/ You
Series: 2020 December Writing Challenge [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127273
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Children

Christmas time is a hectic time of year. It was hectic when you were a child, it was hectic when you were a single adult, it was hectic when you were Marcus’ girlfriend and when you first married him. And it is most certainly hectic this year, now that you have two little rugrats running around at your feet, full of excitement and anticipation for their favorite holiday. But truth be told, you would have it no other way.

“Alright you little gremlins! Who’s ready to decorate Christmas cookies for Santa?!” Marcus crouches down in front of your son and daughter who squeal excitedly as they bounce up and down with their seemingly limitless supply of energy.

“Santa! Santa! Santa!” your oldest chants as she runs to the table, clamoring up in a chair where you’ve set out several bowls of multi-colored icing, stacks of sugar cookies of all kinds of shapes, and more sprinkles than you are sure your children will know what to do with. Marcus grins as he scoops up his son, following your daughter over to the table to set him down. He partitions out the cookies, making sure each kid has a gingerbread man to frost, as well as stars and bells and houses and Santas. You had made sure to make plenty this year in preparation for the inevitable breaking of cookies that was bound to happen. Delicate is not a word in a child’s dictionary.

With a kiss to your cheek, Marcus pulls out your chair before helping you down into it, your swollen belly complicating even the simplest of tasks. You flash him a grateful smile as you start guiding your kids through icing their cookies, trying to keep your son from pouring an entire container of sprinkles on to his gingerbread man. Marcus meanwhile gets lost in his little Christmas house he’s decorating, ever the artist, and your heart swells as you watch him, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he concentrates. Once the kids are well under way with their decorating, you shuffle out of your chair, standing and grabbing your phone to take some pictures.

“Look here everyone!” you call, earning three excited smiles as you snap pictures of your frosting covered family. The warmth that you feel is unparalleled as you look at the family you never thought you would have, the future and family that Marcus had promised you when he proposed to you all those years ago. It’s finally your reality.

After your dining table is effectively turned into a candy land war zone, the cookies are finally complete. Your little gremlins are covered nearly head to toe in icing and sprinkles, and are practically vibrating from all the sugar they’ve had from licking their fingers for the icing. How you’re going to get them down tonight, you have no idea. Marcus picks up on your worry as he looks to the clock before standing up to kiss your cheek. “I’ll take care of getting them cleaned up for the night, don’t you worry honey.” You give him a thankful smile before he turns to look at the tiny terrors once more. “Okay little agents! The next mission is bath time! Go go go!” The kids squeal and hop up, making a line for the bathroom with Marcus hot on their tail. What did you do to deserve a guy like him?

With Marcus wrapped up in cleaning up your kids, you set out to slowly clean the kitchen, waddling around at a lazy pace. The cookies are still laid out drying and you smile at the mess the kids made in their enjoyment, icing dripping off the sides of the cookies. They’re a stark contrast to Marcus’ cookies, but just as beautiful. You begin to hum softly to yourself as you clean, setting the dishes in the sink to be done later, heading to the bathroom when you’re finished. Marcus has the kids almost completely cleaned up, making funny noises to entertain them as he rinses them off.

“Mommy mommy! Can we pick out the cookies for Santa?” Your little girl looks at you with wide eyes and you grin, nodding to him as you pull a towel off the rack.

“Only after you finish your bath and get into your jammies for bed time! Then we can pick out cookies and read a story before bed. Remember, the sooner you sleep, the sooner Santa comes!” Marcus throws a warm smile at you over his shoulder before helping the kids out of the bath to get dried off.

Twenty minutes later, the kids are clean and dry, the cookies are picked out, and they’re crawling into bed while Marcus pulls his chair up between their beds. “Tonight, we’re going to read The Night Before Christmas.” The kids giggle excitedly as you move to tuck them in while Marcus begins reading. “’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” You smile at the familiar rhyme, placing a kiss on each child’s forehead before moving to sit in your own chair to listen to Marcus’ reading, trying not to fall asleep yourself to the sound of his soothing baritone.

As the tale reaches its end, the kids have wound down, eyes sleepy and barely open. Marcus smiles, setting down the book as he stands to press a kiss to their foreheads before taking your hand to help you from the room, closing the door softly behind him. Time to make the magic happen.

When morning rolls around, you’re thoroughly asleep tucked into Marcus’ side when the door to your room creaks open. “Mommy, daddy,” whispers a tiny voice and you let out a quiet groan, squeezing your eyes more tightly shut. “Santa came, Santa came!” your daughter whispers excitedly. She helps her brother up onto the bed before climbing up herself, shaking you and Marcus awake.

“Oh did he now?” Marcus asks with a voice thick with sleep as he grabs your son, snuggling him as he peppers his tiny face with kisses.

“Yes! Come _on!_ Get up we have to see what presents he got us!” Your daughter shakes your shoulder again and you finally yawn, slowly sitting up to pull her against you, kissing her good morning. She squeals and wiggles from your arms, sliding off the bed.

“Okay you two, go sit on the couch and wait for us, okay? Mommy and daddy will be right out,” Marcus sets your little boy on the ground, and the sound of tiny feet slapping the laminate can be heard as they stampede to the living room. “Merry Christmas, babe,” Marcus whispers, leaning over to give you a kiss before standing up to get your robe for you.

“Merry Christmas, Marcus,” you reply with a smile, standing up to slip on your robe before following him out to the living room. The sounds of delighted squeals and cries fill the air as the stockings are emptied and the presents opened and wherever you look, there is only joy. The kids see the cookies were partly eaten and the milk mostly drunk and they playfully argue over which cookies Santa liked better while you nestle into Marcus’ side, watching your tiny loves play. You can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas morning, surrounded by your perfect family in a living room filled or ripped up wrapping paper and discarded bows. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. 


End file.
